Are Your Troubles Like Mine?

Do little things trouble you?

What little things trouble me, you ask?

Well, like talking with those kind people

in India about Dell computer riddles.

Trying to work out problems when you can barely

understand one another’s speech.

Waiting for others to complete their work

so you can get your downstream part of the work done.

Listening for a “yes” or “no” answer from someone

who wants to tell you a long story about the

simple question you asked

instead of giving you the simple answer you need.

A good idea you recorded in a moment of absolute clarity,

that doesn’t make sense when you look at your notes.

The lack of good manners and good sense

of those car drivers who never, ever signal

that they intend to turn left or right.

If they aren’t clear about where they’re going, will my car hit theirs?

A computer freezes in the middle of a project.

Now what? Should I abandon my document or, hopefully, reboot?

And, the very most unpleasant, rude thing of all:

those who call my home on the telephone – I answer –

they don’t identify themselves, just start talking.

Who’s calling, I wonder? I have to guess and I’m frequently wrong.

The caller is offended that I don’t immediately recognize his voice.

(Usually the unidentified caller is a man, for some reason.)

Must I apologize when the misunderstanding is the caller’s fault?

No, but I most often do.